Day 25 Lahinch Town
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| Main Street of Lahinch |
Over the course of this blog I have shown a few snapshots of Lahinch town, but I thought I would try to get few extra things that capture the essence of this wonderful little village.
I have come at a great time! The weather has been amazing, and the main bunch of tourists have not yet arrived!! They're starting to spruce up the town after the winter rains..
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| They've painted the Atlantic Hotel |
But let's just recap a little history - some of which will echo yesterday's story about Ennistymon.
The Clare County Library describes Lahinch as follows..
Lahinch is best described in the literal translation of its name, "Leath Inis", or the "Half Island." This colourful description of the village is borne out by the Atlantic to the west, the Inagh River to the north and the smaller Moy River to the south. The official name, in Irish, is Leacht Ui Chonchubhair, or O'Connor's Cairn, erected in memory of one of the O'Connor Lords of Corcomroe who was slain by his nephews in 1471. The site of this grave is believed to be at the end of the Main Street.
And a little more about Lahinch from the same source..
Lahinch developed from having just a few cabins in the eighteenth century to having a population of over one thousand people in 1835. However, no significant development took place in the early nineteenth century as the sea front continued to take a severe battering from the Atlantic gales.
Lahinch's popularity and fame depend on two features. First and foremost is the mile-long beach of golden sand stretching along in front of the village, promenade and sandhills. With the growing popularity of sea bathing and the arrival of the West Clare Railway in 1887 people began to arrive in unprecedented numbers. The village's secondary, but by no means lesser, claim to popularity and fame is its Golf Club.
It seems a shame that the West Coast Railway was discontinued. Imagine the trade it could do these days with all the tourists in Lahinch.
From wikipedia..
The West Clare Railway (WCR) originally operated in County Clare, Ireland, between 1887 and 1961. This 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge railway ran from the county town of Ennis, via numerous stopping-points along the West Clare coast to two termini, at Kilrush and Kilkee, with the routes diverging at Moyasta Junction. The system was the last operating narrow gauge passenger system in Ireland and connected with the mainline rail system at Ennis, where a station still stands today for bus and train services to Limerick and Galway. Intermediate stops included Ennistymon, Lahinch and Milltown Malbay.
The history of Lahinch is similar to that of Ennistymon especially as regards the the Rineen Ambush.
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| Rineen Ambush Memorial |
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| Rineen Ambush Memorial |
The Clare Library tells us
In September 1920, in reprisal for the Rineen Ambush, British troops set fire to many buildings in Lahinch, including the local dance hall near the Promenade.
The other towns that were subjected to the burning were Ennistymon and Miltown Malbay.
The Centenary of the Rineen Ambush was celebrated on September 22 2020
Clare FM is the local radio station and they devoted a special segment to this.
There is a story attached to those pics of the Rineen Ambush Memorial.... Wattle is always having little adventures!!!
I could get a pic of that memorial from Google Images, but having read the history I thought I would go and see it for myself - given that it's not far from Lahinch. So I put it into Google Maps and when I arrived at the spot where it was telling me to go, it showed a dinky little lane that would barely fit my car. So I thought I would just keep going and do a U turn somewhere and come back again... However that road doesn't really lend itself to U turns, so I kept going to Spanish Point...(That was on the blog on Day 19!) I went into the Armada Hotel, because it was lunchtime and I thought I could kill 2 birds with one stone. So I asked the guy behind the bar if they did sandwiches and he said No but took me outside to a little cafe where they did serve sandwiches. On the way I asked him if he was a local and did he know about this monument. I struck it lucky because he was right into all that history. He took my iphone and added the Memorial in as a dropped pin. So I thanked him profusely.
But... by the time i had my croissant with ham and cheese I went back to the car and that dropped pin was taking me to Burke's hardware (Hello Andrew and co!) in Miltown Malbay.
So I went back in and there was no sign of Bernard (I had found out his name!) So I asked another young man, who, fortunately, was also right into all that history and he was happily telling me the whole history of the Rineen Ambush and the Black and Tans involvement etc... (I think he was Callum) . He also told me exactly how to get there!
So I was so blessed twice with the lovely Irish lads who helped a damsel in distress!
Long story - but it was the highlight of my day!
On the way home I called in to the Lahinch Golf Club and it was buzzing. It's yet another perfectly splendid day today. The mornings are a bit misty but by lunchtime the sun is out and all the locals are in their short sleeves. (I still think there's a bit of a cool breeze!)
Here's a few pics for my mad golfing mates!!
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| Lahinch Golf Club |
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| Lahinch Golf Club |
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| Lahinch Golf Club |
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| Lahinch Golf Club |
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| Lahinch Golf Club |
Wikipedia give us a bit of history again...
It was founded 131 years ago in 1892 by Alexander W. Shaw and Richard J. Plummer, officials of Limerick Golf Club. They laid out an 18-hole course, the original course had ten holes on each side of the road.[3] It has been described as the "St. Andrew's" of Ireland
Perhaps just one more thing of interest to finish off...
In 2014 there was a huge Hurricane (Hercules) which pounded the Promenade at Lahinch with massive waves.
Hurricane Hercules arrived to Irish west coast on 3rd of January 2014 by 7 PM and Lahinch promenade started to be pounded by giant waves and onshore wind 45 knots strong.
Here's a few photos by George Karbus
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| Waves crashing in to Lahinch Promenade Jan 2014 |
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| Waves crashing in to Lahinch Promenade Jan 2014 |
A couple more pics..
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| Wave damage to Lahinch Promenade Jan 2014 |
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| Monster waves Lahinch 2014 |
You may have noticed in the pics that I have taken of Lahinch Beach in 2023, the Promenade is now protected by massive big boulders. Apparently this storm did great damage to those houses and shops on the beach front...
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| Lahinch Beach this morning. |
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| Lahinch Beach this morning. |
There's so much more I could add, but I still have a few days left!!! But that's a bit of a start. It's hard to explain a place that you have come to know a little better through living in it! But you have to start somewhere!
